27 coffees. Countless incredible flavours. And we're still finding new reasons to get excited about El Vergel Estate! 🤩
Our relationship with Colombian producers Shady and Elias Bayter goes way back. Over the years, we've shared an incredible 27 different single origins from El Vergel Estate with our Coffeekind community. From wild and wonderful co-ferments to beautifully expressive traditional coffees, these guys never stop pushing the boundaries of flavour.
And now, we're thrilled to introduce just our second Gesha from El Vergel Estate. Meet Gesha Marcela!
The Bayter family's coffee journey began in 2010, when they first planted coffee at their farm in Tolima, Colombia. Faced with the challenges of the traditional coffee market, they set out to do things differently. In 2019, Forest Coffee was born, an initiative connecting Colombian coffee producers with international roasters through innovative processing, education and fairer, more transparent trade.
Today, Forest Coffee works with 250 coffee-growing families across Colombia. Pretty incredible stuff!
Now, let's talk flavour!
Gesha Marcela starts with perfectly ripe Gesha cherries, carefully selected at El Vergel Estate. These cherries spend 36 hours undergoing aerobic pre-fermentation before heading into a bioreactor for 72 hours of carbonic maceration fermentation, where CO₂ creates a controlled environment that helps develop the coffee's beautiful sweetness, floral aromatics and tropical fruit complexity.
From there, the cherries are mechanically dried for 120 hours, then rested in GrainPro bags for 30 days to let those delicious flavours settle into place.
The result? A stunning, complex Gesha bursting with tangerine, rose petal, guava and lychee. Delicate florals, juicy tropical fruit and a beautiful sweetness. Everything we love about exceptional Gesha!
And the best part? Our Head of Coffee, Aryan, has just arrived at El Vergel Estate for two weeks of hands-on time with Shady, Elias and their team. So, while we're celebrating our 27th coffee from these legends, you can bet there are plenty more exciting things to come!
Watch this space. 👀
